Staff Directory 6370442

Richard Meryhew

Team Leader | Region
Phone: 612-673-4425

Richard Meryhew is editor for the Star Tribune's regional team. He previously was editor of the east bureau in Woodbury and also covered state news, playing a key role in team coverage of many of the state's biggest stories. In 2006, he authored an award-winning series on Kirby Puckett's life.


Meryhew is a native of St. Paul and a 1977 graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he worked as a writer and editor for the Minnesota Daily. He later he worked as a staff writer at the Worthington Daily Globe before joining the Minneapolis Star in 1980.
Recent content from Richard Meryhew
One of Michele Kelm-Helgen’s ex-colleagues says the chairwoman of the new Vikings stadium authority shouldn’t be underestimated.

June 16, 2012: New stadium head has deep political roots

Michele Kelm-Helgen grew up in a family that lived, breathed politics.
Brian Fitch Sr., left, and Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick, right.

Cop-killing suspect got drug treatment, not longer sentence

As Brian Fitch Sr. faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of veteran officer Scott Patrick, some law enforcement officials are questioning whether a judge treated him too leniently.
Minnesota State head football coach Todd Hoffner

Dec. 22, 2012: Hoffner gets 20-day unpaid suspension

Todd Hoffner's status as Minnesota State, Mankato's football coach remains unclear. The unpaid suspension might be over his use of university cellphone.
Jennifer Haselberger spoke out against Archbishop John Nienstedt and his handling of evidence in potential child abuse cases involving archdiocesan pr

Church lawyer turned whistleblower named 'person of the year'

Jennifer Haselberger, 39, of St. Paul was honored in an editorial by the National Catholic Reporter for her courage in speaking out against Archbishop John Nienstedt.
Jason Stockwell and his wife, Maria Zaruma, lifelong Vikings fans from Columbia Heights, linger in their seats at the close of Sunday’s game.

It's lights out for Metrodome

Well-behaved Metrodome fans say goodbye to an era. Hometown heroes of all stripes helped build memories.
Marine Cpl. Ethan Nagel was awarded a Silver Star on Tuesday for his actions in Afghanistan while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in 2009.

Prior Lake Marine receives Silver Star for rescuing wounded comrade

Cpl. Ethan Nagel was cited for rescuing a comrade from capture in Afghanistan by the Taliban while firing on the enemy and doing so while being wounded himself.
The stadium will be built in roughly the same location as the Metrodome. Construction is expected to begin this fall, as the Vikings play their final

No. 6: New Vikings stadium: Big, bold and glassy

The stadium will have giant pivoting glass doors that open to the downtown Minneapolis skyline. Seven stadium decks will surround a field of artificial turf with two giant high-tech scoreboards at each end zone.
Keith Michael Novak, 25, is in federal custody with a Monday court date.

Fraud case, militia ties shock Maplewood vet's neighbors

Keith Michael Novak, an intelligence analyst with the Minnesota National Guard, awaits a Monday court hearing after being accused of stealing information so he could make fake IDs for militia members.
Dec. 8: Vikings, Wells Fargo resolve sign issue

Dec. 8: Vikings, Wells Fargo resolve sign issue

The disagreement over 2 large signs had threatened the $400M project near the new stadium.
Kathy Lauwagie, of Maplewood, joined protesters last month across the street from the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul to call for Archbishop John Ni

Abuse scandal to persist, even after naming priests

Minnesota's Catholic dioceses under pressure to make public the names of additional accused clerics.
Attorney Jeff Anderson spoke at a news conference Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013.

Dec. 5, 2013: Archdiocese names 32 priests accused of abusing minors

The archdiocese's publication of a list of metro priests deemed to have abused kids is unprecedented in Minnesota.
Zygi Wilf threw dirt next to Gov. Mark Dayton as ground was broken Tuesday morning on construction for a new Vikings stadium.

Dec. 4: Now real work can begin on stadium

As time runs out for the Dome, fans and dignitaries broke ground on new home.
Diane Plocher, of Mayer, braved the cold and wind along with other protesters to march for the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt across the str

Archdiocese alerts parishes about naming clergy accused of abuse

An e-mail from the vicar general says 92 of its churches had at least one of the priests assigned to them over the years. The list will be posted online and printed Thursday.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton dig in during the groundbreaking for the new Vikings stadium on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013.

Zygi Wilf, Gov. Dayton turn the dirt on new Vikings stadium

The 2½-year mission to build a $1 billion new home for the Minnesota Vikings ceremonially kicked off Tuesday morning with a long-awaited groundbreaking outside the Metrodome.
Al Michaud, 52, recounted how he was abused by the Rev. Jerome Kern in 1977 in support of another victim who is suing the archdiocese.

Man who sued archdiocese for abuse turns anger into change

Nearly 37 years after Rev. Jerome Kern sexually assaulted him, Al Michaud plans to file a report with St. Paul police documenting the assault in hopes that it will lead to criminal charges.
Francis Hoefgen

Abuse suit filed against St. Luke clergy treatment center

A lawsuit involving a Minnesota priest claims St. Luke Institute and the archdiocese concealed threat to minors.
Ray Stumpf, posed as the model for "the lone sailor" in one of Charles Kapsner's military paintings.

Obituary: Ray Stumpf, teacher, Navy veteran

  He was an athlete, a car collector, a U.S. Navy scuba diver and a longtime middle school teacher. But it was his short stint…
Clyde Bellecourt and several other representatives of the Minneapolis-based American Indian Movement attended the meeting and lobbied the board to ban

Effort to ban Redskins name, logo during Nov. 7 game at Dome fails

As the Nov. 7 Vikings-Washington game approaches, American Indian activists had hoped to persuade officials that the Redskins nickname is offensive.
The owner of the Downtown East parcel outside the Metrodome has reached a deal with the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority for the purchase of the

$17 million deal to buy plaza takes heat off Vikings stadium talks

The Vikings, meanwhile, reportedly are "alarmed" that the project cost estimates have soared by $45 million and are talking with a "separate contractor" to explore pricing options and estimates.
The new Vikings stadium, shown in an artist's rendering.

Oct. 10: $975M isn't enough for everything in stadium

As groundbreaking nears on a new stadium, the team finds it may have to trim some amenities like a parking garage and a skyway.
Abdullahi Hassan, 18 months, waited with his father, Bashir Farah, after a Friday afternoon prayer service at the Islamic Center of St. Cloud.

St. Cloud mosque on hold

Opposition in St. Cloud centered on the location but was underlined by some nasty e-mails.
The new Vikings stadium, shown in an artist's rendering.

Minneapolis, new Vikings stadium among finalists for 2018 Super Bowl

With no name and no concrete yet poured, the nearly $1 billion Vikings stadium has Minneapolis on shortlist with two other cities to host the game.
At a tailgating parking lot near the Metrodome before the first preseason game between the Vikings and the Texans, Vikings fans got a little groove go

Vikings fans digest new seat license fees of up to $10,000

Season-ticket holders face license cost of up to $10,000 in new stadium.
Gov. Mark Dayton was opposed to seat fees, but he acknowledged Thursday that “that’s the business of professional football.”

Vikes fans to pay hefty seat fees - $2,500 average - at new stadium

Those fees -- raising $100 million of the Vikings contribution for the new stadium -- will range from a low of $500 per seat to a high of $10,000, per seat, with an average of $2,500 per seat.
An artist's rendering of the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

Sept. 27: Doubts, controversy persist over stadium deal

A plan to fund part of construction with revenues from untested electronic gambling games was officially declared a bust last week. Potentially hefty fees for stadium seat licenses have again angered the governor and threaten to alienate loyal season-ticket holders.
Gerad Cafesjian

Obituary: Gerard Cafesjian helped save carousel

Growing up near Coney Island in the 1930s, Gerard L. Cafesjian developed an affection for merry-go-rounds.So much so that when the Minnesota State Fair carousel…
Daud Mohamed, left, and Abdifatah Farah help lead Ka Joog, a Somali youth group that warns teens against radicalism.

Minnesota Somalis united against terror group Al-Shabab

Five years after bitter debate over an upstart terror group divided their Minnesota community, Somalis stand against Al-Shabab.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf (left) and team vice president Lester Bagley.

Sept. 13: Wilfs can finance their share of stadium

Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf have more than enough money to pay for their share of their team's new stadium, even if a New Jersey judge orders them to pay hefty punitive damages in a bitter real estate case, a top stadium official said Friday.
Gov. Mark Dayton

Sept. 16: Dayton wants Vikings to put up more equity

He wants to ensure Wilfs don't pass on stadium costs.
Mark and Zygi Wilf.

Vikings stadium official: Wilfs can pay their share

It's not necessary to wait for a New Jersey court ruling on the Wilf family finances for the authority to move forward with stadium, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michele Kelm-Helgen said.
A sketch of the new Vikings stadium.

Aug. 27: Fight over Wilfs' data may stall stadium plan

Vikings officials have agreed to provide analysts with more financial information on team owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, but fears continue to grow that construction of the new football stadium in downtown Minneapolis is falling behind schedule.
From left, Zygi, Mark and Leonard Wilf listened to a New Jersery judge’s decision Aug. 5 in a 21-year-old lawsuit.

Vikings owners look to keep their family finances from public

Lawyers for the Vikings owners will ask a New Jersey court next week to seal documents with the family's net worth.
Vikings owner Zygi Wilf

Aug. 28: Wilfs' info kicks state review into high gear

Despite substantial progress on audit, stadium construction could still be delayed, an official warns.
Seen from the Star Tribune building, looking south, southwest a portion of the light rail station block owned by local real estate developer Bob Lux i

Aug. 30: Fight over land near stadium gets bitter

Authority accuses plaza's owner of overstating value.
Dikken

'Person of interest' wanted in connection with Granite Falls shootings

A Granite Falls, Minn., woman was shot to death in her home about 3:30 a.m. Monday and her boyfriend critically wounded, officials said.The public's help…
A rendering of the new Vikings stadium. The timeline for building a new downtown Minneapolis stadium for the Minnesota Vikings has always been tight.

Aug. 18: Wilf inquiry adds pressure to stadium timeline

Any delays caused by a review of his finances would ripple through the construction schedule.
This handout released by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the Minnesota Vikings shows the new Minnesota Vikings stadium in this rendering

Vikings stadium deal is put on hold for probe of Wilf family finances

A racketeering specialist will be looking into finances of Vikings' owners after New Jersey case.
This handout rendering shows the glassy design for the new Vikings stadium.

Aug. 12: Mpls. Planning Commission OKs stadium design

Despite some sharp criticism from one of its members, a Minneapolis commission approved the plan.
Vikings fan Larry Spooner, who attended countless legislative hearings on the stadium posed with Governor Dayton and Mark and Zygi Wilf at a private r

Aug. 11: Doubts about Wilfs complicate stadium talks

The governor and the Sports Facilities Authority are poring over the final details of the deal.
Wayne Enger of the Metrodome grounds crew outlined the Vikings end zone letters with a spray painter on Monday.

Metrodome demolition won't be a blast

Turns out, there'll be no big-bang farewell for the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.Instead, the 31-year-old downtown Minneapolis sports venue that has played host to hundreds…
Architect’s rendering of the new Vikings stadium, with a prow that will rise 272 feet above the sidewalk. Minnesota Vikings

Mpls. city committee has lots of ideas for Vikings stadium

Recommendations include protecting birds and encouraging bikes.
Vikings tailgaters set up camp in lots near the armory in downtown Minneapolis.

Vikings push to add tailgating options in time for new stadium

With some prime tailgating lots near the new stadium targeted for development, the NFL team is working to fill the void and preserve a gameday tradition.
In the market for this used pitcher’s mound? How about a small lawn tractor, a row of bleacher seats or a batting cage? The sale of surplus items at

Metrodome is ready to sell off its parts

As the Metrodome enters its final months, the venue's operators are making plans to sell off everything from the seats to the scoreboards.
Nadia and Michael Karkoc, wife and husband, taken in 1982, from a publication called “Survivors. Political Refugees in the Twin Cities.”

2013: Michael Karkoc's story stuns Minneapolis, launches global inquiries

For decades, Michael Karkoc has lived a quiet life in Minneapolis. Now he stands accused of being a Nazi collaborator. All want to know — who is this 94-year-old Ukrainian immigrant?
Michael Karkoc

Son disputes report that Mpls. man was Nazi commander

The Associated Press reported Friday that a 94-year-old retired carpenter and father of six living for decades in northeast Minneapolis is a former Nazi SS officer.
Bob Sadek

Obituary: Bob Sadek, longtime teacher and coach

  On the wall of Jim Isaak’s office at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester hangs a framed reminder of that magical season 32 years ago.…
Lucky find: ‘‘I knew it was worth money, but I had no idea how much,” said David Gonzalez

Man of steel is good as gold for Minnesota man

A 75-year-old comic book plucked from the walls of a western Minnesota house sold at auction for $175,000.

$400 million plan would reshape downtown east

The five-block area would become home to two, 20-story office towers spanning 1.2 million square feet of space.
A landscape architect’s rendering of the new Vikings stadium as viewed from the northwest looking southeast toward Elliot Park. The stadium’s west

June 1: Architects see stadium site as unique urban park

Planners are hoping people will gather there even when the Minnesota Vikings aren't playing.
David Tinjum's view of the Minneapolis skyline and Metrodome from his downtown loft will be drastically altered when the new Vikings stadium goes up.

Neighborhood residents weigh in on new Vikings stadium design

Neighbors shared mixed reviews on the new Vikings stadium design, but welcomed its neighborhood impact.
HKS Inc., the project architect for the new Vikings stadium, has previously delivered retractable roofs and features in NFL venues such as Lucas Oil S

Retractable features an open question on Vikings stadium

Much-anticipated design is more likely to feature a movable wall or window than a retractable roof.
Winning architect HKS Inc. designed these preliminary schematics of a new Vikings stadium as part of its winning bid. Stadium officials stress a final

Choice of designer opens window on Vikings stadium

Dallas firm behind new homes for Cowboys, Colts will design Vikings stadium. HKS plans to solicit public input in coming weeks.
The five architectural firms bidding to win the design job for the new Vikings stadium showed some of their past projects in the Metrodome Thursday, S

Choice of Vikings stadium designer likely 'soon'

Sports authority now debating its five options, chairwoman says.

Vikings stadium: Taller than Metrodome, sloped roof, maybe sliding walls

Potential details emerge for Vikings' $975 million new home.
The five architectural firms bidding to win the design job for the new Vikings stadium showed some of their past projects in the Metrodome on Thursday

Stadium architects strut their stuff for Vikings fans

Five firms competing to design a new home for Vikings showed off their work at Dome.
Architect HKS Inc. designed these preliminary schematics of a new Vikings stadium.

Vikings pick the home team -- Mortenson -- to build new stadium

Mortenson is a familiar name on the local sports construction scene, having built new homes for the Twins, Wild, Timberwolves and University of Minnesota football team.
Mortenson Construction’s John Wood has called the shots for dozens of sports venues nationwide.

Builder: Plan rests on his shoulders

John Wood faces his most formidable building challenge yet: the nearly billion-dollar Vikings stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
Architect HKS Inc. included this design as part of its winning bid. Officials now stress that the final design likely will look much different, but th

Minnesota Vikings stadium design to be unveiled May 13

Designers will unveil details of the Vikings' new home at the Guthrie Theater on May 13.
Bryan Trubey of HKS Sports & Entertainment Group, left, was greeted by Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley after the announcement was made that HKS w

Stadium architect: HKS Inc.

Headquarters: Dallas Resume: Designed two of the NFL's newest stadiums in Dallas and Indianapolis. Resume stuffer: Now known for retractable roofs, walls and windows. Quote:…
Winning architect HKS Inc. designed these preliminary schematics of a new Vikings stadium as part of its winning bid. Stadium officials stress a final

New Minnesota Vikings stadium, a Q&A

1. What will be built? The stadium financing legislation approved by Minnesota legislators and signed by Gov. Mark Dayton in May 2012 calls for a…

Vikings, U near agreement on TCF Bank Stadium lease

The Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota have reached a tentative agreement that will allow the NFL team to play at TCF Bank Stadium in…
Minnesota State head football coach Todd Hoffner was cleared of child pornography charges relating to videos he made of his children.

Former Mankato football coach Todd Hoffner fired by school

School officials won't comment on why former football coach was removed from their payroll earlier this week

Mower County to continue supervising medical treatments for HIV baby

Parents won custody, but county officials will supervise.

200 free tickets available for unveiling of Vikings stadium design

Free tickets to the unveiling of the new Vikings stadium design will be available to about 200 members of the general public.
Architect HKS Inc. designed preliminary schematics of a new Vikings stadium.

Time for a Plan B for Vikings stadium financing?

Sluggish sales of electronic pulltabs have legislators concerned.

Friend of slain Little Falls teen pleads guilty to break-in charges

Teen admits he was a lookout in two burglaries committed by Nick Brady, who was killed by a homeowner in a third break-in.
Byron Smith

Little Falls man indicted on first-degree murder in teens' deaths

Byron David Smith, 64, has been indicted on first-degree, premeditated murder charges in the deaths of Haile Kifer, 18, and her cousin, Nick Brady, 17, as they broke into his home.
In Donna’s Big Johns cafe in Little Falls, where opinions can run high, Hope Barton, right, and Mary Goerke discussed the case. Both said there is p

Dec. 17: Little Falls divided by tragedy

Some see a Little Falls man defending his home. Others see two teens executed.
Nancy Barnes, editor of the Star Tribune, gave a newsroom toast. “It matters to me that this was for journalism that makes a difference,” she said

Star Tribune wins 2 Pulitzers: Local reporting, cartooning

The Star Tribune won for local reporting on a spike in infant deaths in poorly regulated home day cares and for editorial cartooning.
Parents John Martinez and Lindsey Nagel greeted their son Rico after being in court all day, Monday.

Mower County mom says she will give son his HIV meds

But she fears baby boy could be harmed by the powerful drugs.
Parents John Martinez and Lindsey Nagel greeted their son Rico at home in Brownsdale, Minn.

Minnesota boy's HIV treatment pits family against county

A legal fight over custody and medical treatment of a 4-month-old boy who has tested positive for HIV kicked off in a southern Minnesota courtroom Monday with the boy's grandmother saying that she would take him off the drugs used to treat his infection if she could legally do so.
Rico Martinez Nagel -- “ John and Rico”

March 9: HIV baby Rico goes home, but fight goes on

After spending the past seven weeks in a hospital crib connected to a feeding tube and powerful drugs, 3-month-old Rico went home Friday. But the legal battle between his parents and a southern Minnesota county over custody and supervision of his care is far from over.

Dermatologist banned from cosmetic surgery by state board

Three complaints led to the ban by a state board, which faced questions about discipline process.
Robert Leach, executive director of the state medical board, said people would be confused if malpractice awards were posted with no context.

Feb. 6: State fails to offer full disclosure

Minnesota's medical board doesn't provide access to malpractice awards and other records that are readily available in other states.
Ray Stumpf, a Navy veteran who is dying of cancer, is spending his final months decked out in a naval uniform and sitting as the model for one of Char

Little Falls artist's painting for vets cemetery unites unlikely pair

An artist and a veteran have become fast friends while creating a memorial for generations to come.